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According to https://www.theamazingshake.com, “The Amazing Shake is a dynamic and exciting live competition that rallies leaders and role models in a school’s community together to teach students about professional skills for success.” 

In 2025, Robert D. Campbell Junior High School students participated again. 

Shortly after the school hosted the first of six rounds, titled The Gauntlet, the competition continued with five additional rounds. 

Eventually, the district finalists were Ashtyn Walters, Avery Dore, Caleb Howard, and Emily Howton. The latter three represented Clark County at the National Amazing Shake Competition at the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, Georgia, in late March. 

“The Amazing Shake Competition is something we started back in Clark County in 2018 and it is a competition designed to provide students with opportunities to grow in their professional skills…like giving handshakes, making eye contact, thinking on their feet, [and] maintaining conversations,” said Amber Murphy, an instructional specialist with Clark County Public Schools.

For the Gauntlet Round, which took place inside of RDC’s library, hundreds of students participated and – in doing so – had to visit different stations allowing them to interact with professionals. 

Over 20 volunteers from the community working in various career fields operated the different stations, allowing students a hands-on learning opportunity while they were assessed on criteria that included how confident they appeared, their posture, and more. 

“We had some…stations…different than what we’ve had in the past, but we’ve also had some very familiar [stations],” Murphy added. “Every year, we have a prepared commercial. Every year, we have a weather report. So, we try to switch things up, just so it keeps it new for the students and relevant each year.” 

Murphy noted that students overall had positive reactions. 

“Some of them you could tell just really enjoyed certain stations,” she said. “This year, we had [a] pirate station. They had to give a pirate directions to Walmart…they really liked interacting. We had a GRC student serving as a volunteer in that station.” 

She also hopes the event will serve students well in their future. 

“I hope that it will provide…authentic opportunities that give them chances to interact with community members,” she said.